This invention relates generally to insulation devices and methods, and is more particularly directed to a device and method for insulating containers for heated liquids, including water heaters, and for insulating means for conveying such liquids, such as pipes.
Containers and vessels for heated liquids must be insulated to prevent heat loss. Failure to insulate results in great expense due to the transfer of heat energy into the surrounding environs. This is a situation which is commonly experienced, even resulting at the homeowner level with hot water heaters.
Insulation materials and devices for insulating water heaters, hot water pipes, and other containers and carrier means for the heating, storing and conveyance of heated water and other liquids are well known. In the past, devices for insulating hot water heaters, pipes, boilers and the like were made of asbestos, but due to health problems associated with asbestos, fiberglass is now used as the preferred material for insulation. Fiberglass, which is non-flammable and has good insulative characteristics, has been configured so as to be used for insulative wraps for pipes, for water heaters, and for other vessels and carrier means relating to hot water.
Fiberglass insulation is normally shredded, or strands of, fiberglass. The nature of this material is that it will not hold a shape by itself, and further, is hazardous and uncomfortable when it comes into contact with human skin. Accordingly, fiberglass insulation is usually covered on the outer layer with some other material. In the prior art, this mateial has typically been paper, plastic or foil.
The present invention incorporates fiberglass, but offers an improvement over fiberglass alone or as used in the prior art. Briefly, the present invention employs fiberglass insulation sandwiched between two layers, or outer skins, of woven polyethylene. The inventor believes that he is the first to place fiberglass between layers of polyethylene, which has given unexpected results in vastly superior insulative qualities over the use of fiberglass alone or fiberglass contained between paper, plastic or foil as is commonly in use. Further, woven polyethylene with nylon reinforcement impregnated therein is vastly superior to paper, plastic or foil or other materials used to cover or contain fiberglass in that it is extremely resistant to tears, abrasions, and water damage. Still further, polyethylene, particularly when used with nylon reinforcement impregnated therein, has excellent shape retention characteristics over the use of paper, plastic or foil used to cover fiberglass. Accordingly, when the fiberglass covered with woven polyethylene is shaped, such as in the shape of a hot water heater or other vessel so as to provide maximum insulation over a long period of use. Fiberglass which is only covered by paper, plastic or foil tends to lose its shape and to sag, tear, deteriorate, or even to start to fall off of the container or vessel, resulting in inferior insulative properties.